Gun sight mounting



Aug. 10, 1965 P. D. WILLIAMS GUN SIGHT MOUNTING Filed oct. 19. 1962 .l United States Patent O 3,199,202 GUN SIGHT MOUNTING Paul D. Williams, Davison, Mich., assignor to Williams Gun Sight Company, Davison, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Oct. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 231,744 3 Claims. (Cl. 33-56) This invention relates to gun sights generally and more particularly -to open sight mountings.

In the conversion or sporterizing of rifles, it is often desirable to t an open sight thereon in conjunction with a telescopic sight base which does not interfere with the open sight when the telescope is removed. This requires an open sight mounting arrangement which locates the open sight high enough so that the sighting plane thereof is above the scope base. Even when a telescopic sight base is not tted on the rie, it is often necessary to provide relatively substantial heights in the open sight mounting arrangement to assure that such a rear sight can be zeroed in on a ramp type front sight. Heretofore, open type sights have included a riser or ladder movable relative to a leaf element for supporting a sight element thereon to provide necessary elevation adjustments. Such open sight mountings often do not have sufficient height to meet these requirements. Moreover, leaf elements of such mounting arrangements support a notch piece or sight element of a predetermined desired style that can only be replaced by rst removing screws which connect the notch pieces to the supporting leaf elements. Such mounting arrangements are relatively expensive and the screws for connecting the sight element thereon are very small and easily lost in cases when the notch pieces are removed in the field. Furthermore, the screws in such open type sights are located in the line of sight at points closely adjacent the sighting aperture therein and thereby tend to detract from the aiming of a rie.

Objects of the present invention, therefore, are to improve open sight type mounting arrangements; to irnprove such open sight mounting arrangements by providing base, slide and blade members which are compactly arranged and interconnected by a dovetailed construction allowing relative movement between such members to accurately adjust for windage and elevation; to further improve such mounts by providing improved means for adjustably fixing the slide and blade members of the assembly With respect to the base portion thereof including adjusting screws located without the line of sight; and to provide such means for so adjustably xing the blade member that it can be removed from the assembly without removing the adjusting screws therefrom.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide a streamlined, lightweight and inexpensive open sight mounting arrangement adapted for use in conjunction with telescopic sights and a wide range of ramp supported front sights.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a rie equipped with applicants novel open sight mounting;

FIGURE 2 is a View in perspective of an open sight mounting constructed in accordance with certain of the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a view in top elevation of the mounting of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view in vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view in vertical section taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a view in horizontal section taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

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Referring now to the drawings, the improved open type gun sight mounting arrangement 8 basically comprises a support base 10, an elevation slide member 12, and a sight blade member 14.

The base support 10 comprises an inclined surface 16 which has an outwardly directed tenon 18 which is shaped as a dovetail and directed longitudinally of the surface 16. The base further includes a concave surface 20 which is formed on a radius corresponding to that of a rifle barrel 22, such as that illustrated in FIGURE 1, on which the support base 10 is fastened by means of suitable fasteners representatively illustrated as screws which are directed through the base 10 into threaded engagement with the barrel 22. The head portions of the screws 24 preferably are received by countersunk openings 25, 26 in the top of the base 10 and the tenon 18, respectively.

The elevation slide member 12 has a bottom surface 28 with an inclination corresponding to that of the surface 16 of the base support 10. A slot 29 in the surface 28 is directed longitudinally therethrough to receive the tenon 18 on the support base 10 to restrain the slide member 12 against all but longitudinal movement along the inclined surface 16. Such longitudinal movement adjustably locates the slide member 12 in one of a plurality of selected elevational positions with respect to the base 10.

The slide member 12 is positively retained or locked in one of the plurality of selected elevational positions by means including an adjusting screw 30 having an enlarged head portion 31 thereof journaled in a countersunk opening 32 in the top of slide member 12. The opposite end of the screw 30 is directed through the member 12 into threaded engagement with a wedge block or gib 34 slidably mounted in an aperture 36 in the slide member 12 which opens into the slot 28 therein. The gib 34 is preferably of general cylindrical form having an inclined face which engages at 38 with the inclined edge of the tenon 18 on the support base 10. When the screw 30 is threaded into the gib 34 it is drawn upwardly in the aperture 36 until the inclined face thereon tightly engages the inclined surface of the tenon 18 to rigidly interconnect the slide member 12 and the support base 10 to assure positive retention of the slide member once it has been located in a preselected elevational position with respect to the base.

The windage adjustment in the improved open sight mounting arrangement includes means for slidably supporting the sight blade member 14 of the sight on the slide member 12 so that the blade 14 is restrained against all but movement at right angles to the movement of the slide member 12 on the base 10. More particularly, the slide member 12 has a dovetail-shape slot 40 in the upper face thereof which is directed transversely thereof at right angles to the slot 29 in the underside of the member for receiving a base 42 on the sight blade member 14 having inclined surfaces that engage the inside surfaces of the dovetail-shaped slot 40 to produce the above mentioned restraining action. The sight blade member 14 may thereby be moved transversely of the slide member 12 to produce a desired windage adjustment. Once the blade member 14 has been loca-ted in a predetermined transverse location -on the slide member 12, it is rigidly interconnected therewith by a moveable wedge block or gib 44 that is slidably mounted in an aperture 46 in the slide member 12 which opens into the slot 40 therein. The gib 44, also preferably of general cylindrical form, has an inclined face which engages at 48 with the inclined edge of the base 42 of the sight blade member 14. A screw 50 extending through the gib 44 into threaded engagement with the slide member 12 has an enlarged head portion 52 thereon journaled in a countersunk recess in the gib 44 for forcing it against the inclined surface of the base 42 to rigidly interconnect the sight blade member and the slide member once a desired windage adjustment is made.

When it is desired to interchange the sight blade member from one which has a U-shaped notch 54 therein, as illustrated in the drawing, for one of another type, the screw 50 is merely loosened so that the gib 44 is no longer tightly pressed against the base 42 of the sight blade 14. The sight blade can then be slipped from the slot 40 in the slide member component of the improved gun sight mounting arrangement and another type of sight can be inserted therein as desired. Similarly, if it is desired to adjust the mounting arrangement for a predetermined windage correction, the same screw can be loosened to allow transverse movement of the sight blade member 14 with respect to the base and slide members 10, 12 until a zero index 56 thereon is properly located with respect to a suitable scale 58 on the upper face of the slide member 12.

In order to make desired elevational adjustments in the improved mounting arrangement, it is only necessary to loosen the screw 30 so that the gib 34 will no longer be held tightly against the tenon 18 on the support base 10. The slide member 12 can then be moved longitudinally of the support base until a zero index 60 thereon is properly aligned with a suitable scale 62 located on one side of the support base 10. Then the screw 28 is tightened in a conventional manner to rigidly interconnect these members as previously discussed.

It should be noted that the three component gun sight mounting arrangement described above has a neat streamlined appearance which is in part due to locating the adjusting screws thereof in out-of-the-way positions where they do not interfere or detract from the line of sight through the Isight blade member 14 and a suitable front sight 64 located on the front end of the rifle barrel 22.

It will be observed that both windage and elevation adjustments can be made by merely loosening one screw without removing the screw from the gun sight mounting. Suitable adjustments can, therefore, be made without having to worry about losing the Screws because of their relatively small size. It will further be appreciated that the above described improved gun mounting arrangement can be easily installed without having to dovetail a rifle barrel to positively interconnect the mounting arrangement thereto. A further advantage of the improved three component open sight mounting arrangement is that a wide range of heights from the outer diameter of a barrel to the sighting notch in the sight blade member are available since various sized base, slide and blade members can be interchangeably combined to provide a wide range of sight heights suited to the conversion of almost any rifle.

Other advantages and features will be apparent to those familiar with gun sights and while it will be apparent that the embodiment of the instant invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulll the objects of the invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a gun sight mounting arrangement, the combination of, a support base having an inclined upper surface, a slide member, means defining interconnected dovetailshaped tenons and slots directed longitudinally on said upper surface and said slide member for restraining said slide member against all but longitudinal movement along said upper surface into selected elevational positions, a sightlipngjnernber, means defining interconnected dovetail' `sli'a'ped tenonsand slots on said slide member and said sighting member for restraining said sighting member against all but movement at right angles to the movement of said slide member, on said support base, means on said slide member for adjustably fixing each of said mem bers relative to said support base including a pair of adjusting screws and wedge blocks, one of said screws threadably engaging said slide member for moving one of said wedge blocks into locking engagement with said sighting member, the other of said screws threadably engaging the other of said wedge blocks for moving it into locking engagement with said support base for locking said members against movement relative to said support base.

2. A gun sight mounting comprising: a support base having an inclined upper surface; means defining a first dovetail-shaped tenon on said upper surface; a slide member having a tirst dovetail-shaped slot therein adapted to receive said first tenon, said rst tenon and slot being longitudinally positioned for restraining movement of said slide member on said support base except in a longitudinal direction between selected elevational positions; a sighting member having a second dovetail-shaped tenon thereon; means defining a second dovetail-shaped slot in said slide member adapted to receive said second tenon, `said second `tenon yand slot being positioned transversely for restraining movement of said sighting member on said slide member except in a transverse direction; a first wedge block positioned between said support base and said slide member and adapted to engage said first tenon; first screw means acting between said slide member and said first wedge block and threadably engaging the latter to lock said slide member on said support base, said first screw means being positioned out of the shooters line of vision when sighting; a second wedge block adapted to engage said second tenon; and second screw means acting between said second wedge block and said slide member to lock said sighting member on said slide member, said second screw means being positioned out of the shooters line of vision when sighting.

3. A gun sight mounting comprising: a support base having an inclined upper surface; a slideliiimber; a first dovetail-shaped slot and tenon coni'ction between said inclined surface on said support base and said slide member, said first tenon and slot being longitudinally positioned for restraining movement of said slide member on said support base except in a longitudinal direction between selected elevational positions; a sighting member; a second dovetail-shaped slot and tenon connection between said slide member and said sighting member, said second tenon and slot being positioned transversely for restraining movement of said sighting member on said slide member except in a transverse direction; a first wedge block positioned between said support base and said slide member and adapted to engage said first connection; first screw means passing through said slide member and threadably engaging said first wedge block to lock said slide member on said support base, said first screw means being accessible from the top of said slide member and positioned out of the shooters line of vision when sighting; a second wedge block adapted to engage said second connection; and second screw means passing through said second wedge block and threadably engaging said slide member to lock said sighting member on said slide member, said second screw means being accessible from the top of said slide member and positioned out of the shooters line of vision when sighting.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,181,773 5/16 King 33--58.5 2,370,654 3/45 Garand 33-56.S 2,511,245 6/50 Caster 33-56.5 2,839,832 6/58 Williams 33-59 X FOREIGN PATENTS 24,265 5/06 Australia. 172,759 12/04 Germany.

ISAAC LISANN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A GUN SIGHT MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT, THE COMBINATION OF, A SUPPORT BASE HAVING AN INCLINED UPPER SURFACE, A SLIDE MEMBER, MEANS DEFINING INTERCONNECTED DOVETAILSHAPED TENONS AND SLOTS DIRECTED LONGITUDINALLY ON SAID UPPER SURFACE AND SAID SLIDE MEMBER FOR RESTRAINING SAID SLIDE MEMBER AGAINST ALL BUT LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT ALONG SAID UPPER SURFACE INTO SELECTED ELEVATIONAL POSITIONS, A SIGHTING MEMBER, MEANS DEFINING INTERCONNECTED DEVETAILSHAPED TENONS AND SLOTS ON SAID SLIDE MEMBER AND SAID SIGHTING MEMBER FOR RESTRAINING SAID SIGHTING MEMBER AGAINST ALL BUT MOVEMENT AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER, ON SAID SUPPORT BASE, MEANS ON SAID SLIDE MEMBER FOR ADJUSTABLY FIXING EACH OF SAID MEMBERS RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT BASE INCLUDING A PAIR OF ADJUSTING SCREWS AND WEDGE BLOCKS, ONE OF SAID SCREWS THREADABLY ENGAGING SAID SLIDE MEMBER FOR MOVING ONE OF SAID WEDGE BLOCKS INTO LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SLIGHTING MEMBER, THE OTHER OF SAID SCREWS THREADABLY ENGAGING THE OTHER OF SAID WEDGE BLOCKS FOR MOVING IT INTO LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT BASE FOR LOCKING SAID MEMBERS AGAINST MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT BASE. 